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Hi all, quick question (I tried to find this question in other posts, but couldn't see it), I keep seeing "frozen grey" as a color on M5's, and can't find it on the BMWUSA build site, is it available in the States? It is a sickkkk color... V/r, Tim.

FYI...after a tour of the Dingolfing plant, I learned just how frozen gray is accomplished. You pay more for less as all it is is gray without clear coat. Further, if you take that car through a car wash or rub it with a dusty cloth, you very easily permanently damage the paint. Think long and hard about that one first...

FYI...after a tour of the Dingolfing plant, I learned just how frozen gray is accomplished. You pay more for less as all it is is gray without clear coat. Further, if you take that car through a car wash or rub it with a dusty cloth, you very easily permanently damage the paint. Think long and hard about that one first...

If frozen means matte like you are beginning to see as a trend on Audis, you can go see it for yourself and have the tour guide who was the head of purchasing/procurement for 31 years at Dingolfing point out the the cars right in front of your very eyes in the paint shop that have skipped the clear coat. So if we are talking about the same paint scheme, I did not read it in a thread somewhere but saw it first hand during production and was told not to ever consider ordering it for the stated reasons.

If frozen means matte like you are beginning to see as a trend on Audis, you can go see it for yourself and have the tour guide who was the head of purchasing/procurement for 31 years at Dingolfing point out the the cars right in front of your very eyes in the paint shop that have skipped the clear coat. So if we are talking about the same paint scheme, I did not read it in a thread somewhere but saw it first hand during production and was told not to ever consider ordering it for the stated reasons.

Think there's conflicting info about the "frozen" (matted) paint. If it helps... Returned from european delivery on Saturday. Took the tour of the 3-series factory in Munich. After the paint shop, they took us into a room to show hoods in the various stages of painting, including the last (clear coat).

I asked our guide this VERY question. Right or wrong, his answer was as follows:

My Question: When you see the frozen/matted paint jobs on some cars, does that mean they skip the clear coat stage, and is less protected.

His Answer: No. There is a clear coat on those cars as well, but is is different than the normal one. It does not have silica which produces the shine (i think this was the compound he mentioned), but otherwise a clear coat is applied.

Think there's conflicting info about the "frozen" (matted) paint. If it helps... Returned from european delivery on Saturday. Took the tour of the 3-series factory in Munich. After the paint shop, they took us into a room to show hoods in the various stages of painting, including the last (clear coat).

I asked our guide this VERY question. Right or wrong, his answer was as follows:

My Question: When you see the frozen/matted paint jobs on some cars, does that mean they skip the clear coat stage, and is less protected.

His Answer: No. There is a clear coat on those cars as well, but is is different than the normal one. It does not have silica which produces the shine (i think this was the compound he mentioned), but otherwise a clear coat is applied.

Not sure who is right tho about the process/protection here.

btw: I saw quite a bit of these on the road throughout Germany.

It may have a clear coat element, however, it is nowhere near the level of protection that the non-matte car has. The clear coat of the non-matte cars is applied dry then baked on in a kiln, which is not the process for the matte car. I had a private tour at Digolfing, we discussed this at length. The clear coat on a non matte BMW can be measured in kg...while I prefer the matte color, I don't have the band width to immediately remove bird droppings or tree sap or road tar. If it were not so fragile, Id spring for it.

Let me say it another way. The car does not follow the normal process through the paint shop line into the clear coat kiln/oven. The matte clear coat is not baked on at Dingolfing.

They sell the paint as equally protective - maybe technically it protects the aluminum as well from oxidation and corrosion, however you'll destroy the look/finish if something is caked onto your car and you can't remove it chemically and need to rub it off.

I personally think it looks great but how are you going to go for a summer afternoon country drive and get the insects off without altering the intended color?